[diabloo]

Like any city, there might be few morons on road. But you can't generalize that every body is one.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Hurt the sentiments? Insult? Cant understand your post dude.

This is a hard fact. And truth hurts at times.

[spadival]

oh no.. not again !! diabloo - We (Pune people) wouldnt want to go around insulting overselves in the first place. But we cant be blind to what is happening around us as well.

[diabloo]

Well, I was sharing my personal experience. Please don't pass insulting comments on people of particular region - you might get an infraction.

Anyway its your login, your choice.

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by diabloo

Like any city, there might be few morons on road. But you can't generalize that every body is one.

Dude why are trying to create a controversy out of nothing ? I guess they didn't said that everyone is moron there all that they've mentioned is that there are some morons out there and they make life hell for others.We have similar situation(of few morons) in our namma bengalooru also.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by diabloo

This thread has hurt the sentiments of Pune people. This is an insult to people of that area.

Originally Posted by diabloo

Like any city, there might be few morons on road. But you can't generalize that every body is one.

If you really get down to counting "few" morons, you'll end up with a LOT of them as a matter of fact, most of them. Chill we are discussing facts.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

If you really get down to counting "few" morons, you'll end up with a LOT of them as a matter of fact, most of them.

Coming from one ?

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by devnull

Can't agree more. Me too, a daily victim of this. I hope the situation in Pune is not any worse.

The other day I was discussing with my friend as to why don't the traffic police in Hyderabad follow the Chandigarh model - collect money from traffic offenders. It's a complete win-win situation - there are so many offenders in Hyd traffic, they can make a lot of easy money and the situation will improve too. I know collecting money would be unlawful, but then "Jab seedhi ungli se ghee na nikle toh ungli tedhi kar dena chahiye".

Agreed. I read some good news today that film stars and volunteers helped cops regulate traffic yesterday. Hope this initiative continues. I don't mind volunteering for such initiatives. Another good initiative was taken by members of this forum near Cyber Towers 2 months ago. Let's keep this going, guys.

[pjbiju]

As Kiran said, there are too many people who do this. It has become a way of life in Pune. And most of these people are not morons. Morons are those who abuse you when you try to pass through your green signal cutting them off jumping the red signal.

The harmless ones will be suprised if you confront them, because they just followed many others.

At Hinjwadi chowk signal you will find a long line of vehicles going to the IT park at around 9:15 a.m. You will find several 2-wheeler techies riding in the wrong lane (after cutting across the road divider) trying to reach the signal before the others. People have died because of this. In the last one week I have seen at least 9 nine accidents between Aundh and Hinjwadi.

So moral of the story for Pune is "be extremely careful while crossing traffic signals, especially if your signal is green. And be doubly careful if you are approaching a green signal and you are the first or only vehicle approaching the signal. No vehicles coming from the green signal side automatically entitles the ones with the red signal to drive through."

Somebody should be able to post some videos of these situations at different signals.

No hard feeling about Puneites. I consider myself one. I have been in Pune for more than 8 years now.

[LLL]

Originally Posted by diabloo

This thread has hurt the sentiments of Pune people. This is an insult to people of that area.

And we should have similar "sentiment hurting" & "insulting" threads for every city. Delhi, i am sure, will get maximum posts.

BTW, i lived in kothrud for 6 months and crossing the main road was always a near-death experience.

[kpzen]

On my recent trip i also learnt the same. Especially in areas like Aundh, chinchwad and chafekar chowk the traffic signals are never followed..

[Chevy_lover]

Traffic sense of Puneites is very bad. It is a well known fact. My friends from Mumbai dread driving in Pune, because of the 2 wheelers and cyclists. These guys have NO respect for bigger vehicles and make it a point to squeeze between cars and other 4 wheelers, at signals. They don't know that bikes have indicators!!! They never use them!

My Chevy baby was scratched by a cyclist on the very second day itself. He was trying to squeeze between my car and the divider, to break the signal and get to the other side. It happened near Blue Nile signal, near MG road. He escaped so quickly and all I could do was beat my head in frustration!

There are lots of foreign students in Pune. They rent bikes on a monthly basis and drive like the roads belong to them. None of them have licenses and they get off the hook by bribing the cops!!!

Yesterday, on my usual night drive with my better half, two foreigners on a pulsar, came into my path suddenly from a lane. I was doing only 40 km/hr. I had to brake immediately and cut to the right, but I made it a point to honk the hell out of them, and my wife almost had a heart attack. Those guys almost fell off from the bike and they were staring at me as though I was the jackass!

I reseve my choicest of hindi 'gaaliis' for these morons. I love to see the look on their faces when they don't understand what I am shouting!!! It is a bit hard to keep a straight face!!! On a lighter note, hats off to GM for installing very loud and irritating horns in Chevy vehicles.

The second most irritating people are the auto guys. They occuppy the entire road and drive side by side, not giving any space for 4-wheelers to overtake. I make it a point to blast my horns till they move aside! I can live the cold stares that I receive from them!!!

After having said this, my personal feeling is that driving in Pune is much more safer than driving in Delhi. I will share one of my unforgettable experiences with the team!

We visit Delhi almost every year. We were in Delhi two years back for a vacation. We caught an auto from Pahar Ganj to Connaught place. Our auto hit a Commander jeep from behind near the station. Out jumped one Sardarji (in his 60's) and his son from the jeep. They pulled the auto driver out of the auto and started manhandling him. The sardarji slapped the auto guy atleast 10 times! The son (a Harbhajan look-alike) not more than 20 years old, ran back to the jeep and took a hockey stick from under the seat. My wife was sitting in the auto, frozen, with her eyes in her hands!!! I pulled her out and we ran to the foot path! The next thing we saw was the auto guy escaping from the Sardarji's clasp and pulling an iron rod from under his seat!!! They started challenging each other for a fight. But none had the guts to start it. There was a huge traffic jam all this time. But luckily no one got injured as other auto guys intervened and the Sardarji had to retreat! The way the Sardarji behaved makes me think that he is a retired police or army officer. We were lucky to escape in one piece.

My apologies if the last part of the post is Off-topic.

[pjbiju]

PUNE: Sample this. Mumbai, with an estimated population of 1.9 crore, has just 17 lakh private vehicles (cars and two-wheelers) on the roads while Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, with a combined population of around 40 lakh, are already in sight of the 20-lakh private vehicle mark!

With the authorities simply refusing to strengthen the public transport system in the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad, sales of cars and two-wheelers have risen alarmingly even as the infrastructure groans under the weight of the burgeoning vehicle population.

During the last financial year (2007-08) alone, a whopping 1.75-lakh new cars and two-wheelers were added to the roads in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad (39,200 cars and 1.36-lakh two-wheelers). Of this, 28,000 cars and 87,000 two-wheelers were registered in Pune alone.

Till March 2007, the total number of cars registered with the regional transport offices (RTOs) in both cities was 2.68 lakh and two-wheelers 15.12 lakh.

Link: 1.75 lakh new private vehicles in 1 yr-Pune-Cities-The Times of India

Combine this with the pathetic narrow roads (with the never ending repair works) and the even more pathetic traffic cops (we are so few, what can we do?) and we have a perfect recipe for lawless driving.

[team suzuki]

For all those who felt this thread has hurt them i am sorry but i just wanted to tell the facts i saw while driving in pune,keep smiling and always be happy

[MX6]

Dear All,
Wanted to share with you what happened to me 3 days back. I cycle to office (as a resolution on Gandhi Jayanti). I follow all traffic rules whether I cycle, or whether I take my Ford Ikon. As a car driver, I always used to refrain from honking, waiting for pedestrians/ cyclists to cross before I take a turn, give them space and never indulge in cutting them off. I give them maximum room because, the poor people walk/ cycle unlike other motored monsters on the road.

3 days back, when I was cycling to office on the left corner of the road along the pavement, I approached a junction where the road branches left. I looked behind and all sides and ascertained that no one was about to turn, or no one had indicators on for a left turn and slowly cycled across. All off a sudden, a brand new ford Ikon (with flowers on it) cut me, honking loudly and swerved left with no indicators. He didn't bother to even wait for me to cross the road. So fast he came that he almost knocked me off the cycle, on a busy junction, that has no traffic signal as well.

I got so irritated that I cycled in front of his car and stopped there and asked him why he is driving so recklessly? He jumped out of a car in a indian film hero style charging at me mouthing expletives and threatening with dire consequences. I was still sitting on my cycle and he came and grabbed my arm and waved his signalling, he's gonna pound me.

I just stood up and told him in a threatening tone, you touch me, I pelt your brand new car with stones. Once I stood, he understood I'm atleast a foot taller than him. And the threat worked. He backed up. I wanted to teach him a lesson. I didn't budge and started hurling the choicest abuses on him myself. People on the road started laughing. Other pedestrians and cyclists were applauding me. there were 3 guys and a girl in the car. A Rare moment when I lost my cool and bad-mouthed them. But to my surprise (and disgust),I enjoyed abusing them. I taunted him showing the stones repeatedly and challenged him to come down. finally I moved ahead and told him to be a bit considerate to poor pedestrians and cyclist and not to be a monster on road. Above all, I told him to follow road rules.

I felt bad that I bad-mouthed. But sometimes I feel these morons deserve it from someone. I got ticked off a lot when he tried man-handling me. When I told about this to my friend, he had a hearty laugh and commented that maximum road accidents happen when the car is brand new. It's because, it's not the person that drives the car. It's his ego...

So dear T-BHPians.... Your comments / similar experiences are highly appreciated.

[sukiwa]

Would refer this as road rage rather than generalize it on pune traffic.

Felt good that better sense prevailed and it didn't lead to incident similar to old Pepsi advt. (janta nahin mera baap kaun hai? ; don't you know who is my father?)